Tonnes of trees collected across Plymouth

Plymouth’s trial Christmas tree collection proved extremely popular with tonnes of trees being picked up by Council crews.

Over 10 tonnes of fir and pine have been picked up between Monday and Thursday of this week and the scheme has proved such a hit another team is out and about today to mop up any stray trees that have been left behind.

Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Brian Vincent said: “This is the first time we’ve carried out this collection and I think we can safely say it’s been a hit with our residents.

“We asked people to put the trees out on the day of their usual bin collection for a crew to pick up. When you consider there are 115,000 homes, and our team collected over 6,000 trees, I think we’ve done really well.

“There were a few queries from people worried their tree had been ignored by the usual waste collectors. In fact, a tree crew was on a separate round but timed to make sure it was the same day as people’s bins were out. In total, five crews of two people were out and about in trucks picking up the trees and a further two with a shredder.”

Councillor Vincent added: “It’s true we missed some trees – but we picked up thousands and thousands. This was a trial that has saved people time and effort of getting rid of their trees. A big thank you to the team that make this happen.”

Staff at Chelson Meadow have already begun the mammoth task of chipping the wood.

More changes are also on the cards for the Councils rubbish and recycling service. Homes across Plymouth received a Christmas card from the Council with details about their collection day as well as guidelines of what to put out and when.

The bin day changes start on 19 January. The new routes are being brought in ahead of the opening of the new waste disposal plant in the New Year. The existing routes need to change to transport rubbish that can’t be recycled to a new location.

The project is part of the Council’s transformation programme, a far reaching look at everything the organisation does to see if can be made more efficient. It is estimated the changes will lead to £1.3 million in savings over three years.

The Christmas tree collection ran for one week only – anyone who still has their  real Christmas tree to dispose of should take it to Chelson Meadow and Weston Mill Recycling Centres and they are sent to be chipped or pulped.